Dell W-Series 228 Instant 6.4.3.1-4.2 User Guide - Page 157

802.1X authentication 802.1X is an IEEE standard that provides an authentication framework for WLANs. 802.1X uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to exchange messages during the authentication process. The authentication protocols that operate inside the 802.1X framework include EAP-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS), Protected EAP (PEAP), and EAP-Tunneled TLS (EAP-TTLS). These protocols allow the network to authenticate the client while also allowing the client to authenticate the network. For more information on EAP authentication framework supported by the W-IAP, see Supported EAP Authentication Frameworks on page 158. 802.1X authentication method allows a W-IAP to authenticate the identity of a user before providing network access to the user. The Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) protocol provides centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting management. For authentication purpose, the wireless client can associate to a network access server (NAS) or RADIUS client such as a wireless W-IAP. The wireless client can pass data traffic only after successful 802.1X authentication. For more information on configuring a W-IAP to use 802.1X authentication, see Configuring 802.1X Authentication for a Network Profile on page 176. MAC authentication MAC authentication is used for authenticating devices based on their physical MAC addresses. MAC authentication requires that the MAC address of a machine matches a manually defined list of addresses. This authentication method is not recommended for scalable networks and the networks that require stringent security settings. For more information on configuring a W-IAP to use MAC authentication, see Configuring MAC Authentication for a Network Profile on page 177. MAC authentication with 802.1X authentication This authentication method has the following features: l MAC authentication precedes 802.1X authentication - The administrators can enable MAC authentication for 802.1X authentication. MAC authentication shares all the authentication server configurations with 802.1X authentication. If a wireless or wired client connects to the network, MAC authentication is performed first. If MAC authentication fails, 802.1X authentication does not trigger. If MAC authentication is successful, 802.1X authentication is attempted. If 802.1X authentication is successful, the client is assigned an 802.1X authentication role. If 802.1X authentication fails, the client is assigned a deny-all role or mac-auth-only role. l MAC authentication only role - Allows you to create a mac-auth-only role to allow role-based access rules when MAC authentication is enabled for 802.1X authentication. The mac-auth-only role is assigned to a client when the MAC authentication is successful and 802.1X authentication fails. If 802.1X authentication is successful, the mac-auth-only role is overwritten by the final role. The mac-auth-only role is primarily used for wired clients. l L2 authentication fall-through - Allows you to enable the l2-authentication-fallthrough mode. When this option is enabled, the 802.1X authentication is allowed even if the MAC authentication fails. If this option is disabled, 802.1X authentication is not allowed. The l2-authentication-fallthrough mode is disabled by default. For more information on configuring a W-IAP to use MAC + 802.1X Authentication, see FConfiguring MAC Authentication with 802.1X Authentication on page 179. Captive Portal Authentication Captive portal authentication is used for authenticating guest users. For more information on captive portal authentication, see Captive Portal for Guest Access on page 127. 157 | Authentication and User Management Dell Networking W-Series Instant 6.4.3.1-4.2.0.0 | User Guide